Forgiveness: A Gift From God :)

In Numbers 12, we read about how Moses sister and brother verbally attack him behind his back. And whether it is a family member or friend, many of us have experienced an experience similar to this. Or perhaps it’s a stranger who hurts or betrays us.

Forgiveness is something we all struggle with, but whether it is the Old Testament or the New, the Bible tells us how to handle a situation such as this 🙂

In the New Testament, Jesus says “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”-Luke 23:34

In the Old Testament, God does punish Moses sister. But Moses prays for her to be forgiven and God relents and only punishes her for seven days. (Numbers 12). Moses forgives his sister and not only does he pray for her; he does not move the camp until her punishment is over and she is free to go with them.

In both cases, Jesus and Moses-forgave those who hurt them. And this is also what we must do. If there is justice that needs to be given-God will give it. But it is not up to us. The Bible is clear, our job is to forgive. And you know what can help us to forgive someone who has hurt us? Praying for them. 🙂

Sometimes, even when we decide to forgive someone and pray for them, feelings of hurt and anger can linger. It’s easy to become confused and wonder why since we “forgave” them, but these feelings still linger.

It’s because forgiveness is a decision, an action if you will. It isn’t really connected to how we feel. It doesn’t mean our feelings of hurt and anger will disappear immediately. So if these feelings well up-we can banish them. We get to decide what we think about. We can ask the Holy Spirit to give us the discipline to do this. Dwelling on past hurts or angers only hurts us. And that is exactly why God gives us the ability to choose.

Forgiving others heals and frees us, which is why God gave us the ability to choose!